You may be asking, "What results?"
If so, you can catch up by reading this post (and the post linked to in said post).
Got the call from Rigshospitalet a little while ago, and...
No terribly, horrible, no good, very bad gene mutation for me!
Not sure how one celebrates news like that, but...
Yay!
Showing posts with label BRCA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BRCA. Show all posts
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Studieskolen - Module 3 Test Prep (and a small update)
Technically, as far at the Studieskolen module calendar is concerned, this module doesn't end for another 2 weeks. However, since påskeferie (or Easter vacation) is next week, our teachers decided it would be better to have our module test the Friday before the break. I know I don't expect to speak much Danish during my week off, so I can understand the logic.
One small problem...
My husband and I booked tickets to go see the family in England long before they decided when they were going to have the exam, and I leave on Thursday.
Luckily, the folks at Studieskolen are generally pretty understanding about the fact that their students are adults and have lives outside of Danish class, and are totally accommodating. What that means, however, is that I'll be taking the test by myself in a different room during class on Thursday morning.
As far as what the test will involve, here's what I know: There's no spoken section of this exam, and no listening section either. As far as I know, the test is made up of a few sections that involve reading texts and choosing correct answers based on that test, and then a writing section in which we'll need to write a formal letter and possibly an informal email.
We spent the last class working on informal emails, and we spent one previous class working on understanding the formal and commonly used expressions in formal emails. However, as I mentioned in a previous post, I feel like this is a skill that would have been helpful MUCH earlier on. At the very least, earlier on on module 3. Hell, even closer to the beginning of module 3.2.
But I don't write the curriculum, so...
We'll see how it goes.
And a quick update on this post: I went to the hospital on Friday, and they took a family history and and gave me some additional information about the implications and preventative measures if I do end up having the gene (all of which was actually more distressing than I'd previously thought), and then sent me downstairs to get blood drawn for the test itself. And now, I wait. I wait somewhere between 1 and 2 months...
One small problem...
My husband and I booked tickets to go see the family in England long before they decided when they were going to have the exam, and I leave on Thursday.
Luckily, the folks at Studieskolen are generally pretty understanding about the fact that their students are adults and have lives outside of Danish class, and are totally accommodating. What that means, however, is that I'll be taking the test by myself in a different room during class on Thursday morning.
As far as what the test will involve, here's what I know: There's no spoken section of this exam, and no listening section either. As far as I know, the test is made up of a few sections that involve reading texts and choosing correct answers based on that test, and then a writing section in which we'll need to write a formal letter and possibly an informal email.
We spent the last class working on informal emails, and we spent one previous class working on understanding the formal and commonly used expressions in formal emails. However, as I mentioned in a previous post, I feel like this is a skill that would have been helpful MUCH earlier on. At the very least, earlier on on module 3. Hell, even closer to the beginning of module 3.2.
But I don't write the curriculum, so...
We'll see how it goes.
And a quick update on this post: I went to the hospital on Friday, and they took a family history and and gave me some additional information about the implications and preventative measures if I do end up having the gene (all of which was actually more distressing than I'd previously thought), and then sent me downstairs to get blood drawn for the test itself. And now, I wait. I wait somewhere between 1 and 2 months...
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Being Wary of the Ides of March
I spent much of today wondering why I was so tense and tired.
I've had a quiet, relaxing weekend. Spent lots of time with my wonderful husband and adorable dog. Ate some lovely food. Watched some television. Saw a completely stress-free, brain-candy movie.
So, how come my shoulders are tied up in knots?
Oh, right... remember this post? (Probably not. I posted it a year and a half ago.)
This Friday, I'll make my way to Rigshospitalet (my local hospital here in Copenhagen) for what might be the first of several meetings regarding getting tested for the gene I discussed in the above post. My concerns about having the gene were a big part of what discussed with the doctor a few weeks ago. As with most things when it comes to the Danish healthcare system, you go to your primary care doctor for any and all questions, and then that doctor will either treat you himself or give you a referral. In this case, the referral was sent to the hospital and they sent me a letter with my appointment date.
That date is March 15th.
Life, your sense of poetry is not amusing.
It means missing a Danish class, and I've had to miss a few this module. In fact, I'll be away on the day that they've scheduled our module 3 exam, so I will have to schedule to take it on a different day. Hopefully missing a few classes won't jeopardize my chances of passing.
But let's be honest... getting this genetic test done is more important than whether or not I have to re-take 6 weeks of Danish classes.
In the meantime, I'll just hang out with my husband and my puppy and try not to think too much about it.
I've had a quiet, relaxing weekend. Spent lots of time with my wonderful husband and adorable dog. Ate some lovely food. Watched some television. Saw a completely stress-free, brain-candy movie.
So, how come my shoulders are tied up in knots?
Oh, right... remember this post? (Probably not. I posted it a year and a half ago.)
This Friday, I'll make my way to Rigshospitalet (my local hospital here in Copenhagen) for what might be the first of several meetings regarding getting tested for the gene I discussed in the above post. My concerns about having the gene were a big part of what discussed with the doctor a few weeks ago. As with most things when it comes to the Danish healthcare system, you go to your primary care doctor for any and all questions, and then that doctor will either treat you himself or give you a referral. In this case, the referral was sent to the hospital and they sent me a letter with my appointment date.
That date is March 15th.
Life, your sense of poetry is not amusing.
It means missing a Danish class, and I've had to miss a few this module. In fact, I'll be away on the day that they've scheduled our module 3 exam, so I will have to schedule to take it on a different day. Hopefully missing a few classes won't jeopardize my chances of passing.
But let's be honest... getting this genetic test done is more important than whether or not I have to re-take 6 weeks of Danish classes.
In the meantime, I'll just hang out with my husband and my puppy and try not to think too much about it.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Why Children Scare Me
Last night, my fiance had a dream in which we had children. He woke up thinking he had to tend to them.
And then he remembered that we don't have any.
All day today, he was making little comments and jokes about how we should start having kids ASAP.
Now, this is a topic that he and I have talked about quite a bit. Before I met him, I never even considered having children. But pretty much as soon as I met him I started picturing what an amazing father he would be, and it became more of a possibility.
After we got engaged, my parents dropped a bomb. I knew that both of my grandmothers had died when my parents were young. What I didn't realize is that the cause of my paternal grandmother's death was genetic.
It turns out, that there's a 50/50 chance that I have the a mutated BRCA gene that is very commonly found in Ashkenazi jews like my grandmother. It's a gene that greatly increases the chances of getting breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
In addition to being scared to death of raising a child in general, the idea that I might have to leave a child behind when the kid is as young as my parents were when they lost their mothers...
It breaks my heart.
I'll get the genetic test before I decide on whether or not I want children. I may go for it either way, because my fiance really should be a father. But I want the decision to be an informed one.
And then he remembered that we don't have any.
All day today, he was making little comments and jokes about how we should start having kids ASAP.
Now, this is a topic that he and I have talked about quite a bit. Before I met him, I never even considered having children. But pretty much as soon as I met him I started picturing what an amazing father he would be, and it became more of a possibility.
After we got engaged, my parents dropped a bomb. I knew that both of my grandmothers had died when my parents were young. What I didn't realize is that the cause of my paternal grandmother's death was genetic.
It turns out, that there's a 50/50 chance that I have the a mutated BRCA gene that is very commonly found in Ashkenazi jews like my grandmother. It's a gene that greatly increases the chances of getting breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
In addition to being scared to death of raising a child in general, the idea that I might have to leave a child behind when the kid is as young as my parents were when they lost their mothers...
It breaks my heart.
I'll get the genetic test before I decide on whether or not I want children. I may go for it either way, because my fiance really should be a father. But I want the decision to be an informed one.
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